Honda Recall for 646,000 Fit/Jazz and City Cars

Honda has joined Toyota and issued a recall for certain vehicles, this is not a great start to 2010 for both Japanese carmakers and as a result has affected their share prices. The Honda recall involves 646,000 Fit/Jazz and City Cars.

These vehicles have to be recalled because of faulty window switches. In some cases they can overheat if they have been exposed to liquid, there are three things that could happen, there could be a huge amount of smoke in the interior, the switch could melt and even catch fire.

According to The Wall Street Journal, only 10% of Fit hatchbacks will need the window switch replaced, the other 90% will just need waterproof skirts fitted to stop liquid seeping in. There was a report last year of a child dying because of a fire taking place in one of the affected vehicles due to this fault.

There are to be 171,372 recalled in the UK, 141,140 in the U.S. and 229,000 in Latin America. Those affected models are built in Brazil, China, India, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia. A strong Yen is already affecting Japanese companies who export; this latest recall will not help either Honda or Toyota.

U.S. carmakers have already started to benefit from this latest recall of Japanese vehicles; we recently reported that GM is offering incentives to Toyota owners. Ford is certain to see an increase in sales as well, not that they need a helping hand; profit has been very healthy for the Blue Oval.